Using Dynamics 365 Business Central as Power BI Data Source for Building Reports

You can make your Dynamics 365 Business Central data available as a data source in Power BI and build powerful reports of the state of your business.

You must have a valid account with Business Central and with Power BI. You must also download Power BI Desktop. For more information, see Quickstart: Connect to data in Power BI Desktop.

To add Business Central as a data source in Power BI Desktop

  1. In Power BI Desktop, in the left navigation pane, choose Get Data.
  2. On the Get Data page, choose Online Services, choose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and then choose the Connect button.
  3. Power BI displays a wizard that will guide you through the connection process, including signing into Business Central. Choose Sign in, and then choose the relevant account. Use the same account that you sign into Business Central with.

  4. Choose the Connect button to continue. The Power BI wizard shows a list of Microsoft Business Central environments, companies, and data sources. These data sources represent all the web services that you have published from Business Central.

    You can also create a new web service URL in Business Central instead. Choose one of the following methods:

    • Use the Create Data Set action on the Web Services page
    • Use the Set Up Reporting Assisted Setup guide
    • Choose the Edit in Excel action in any lists

  5. Specify the data you want to add to your data model, and then choose the Load button.

  6. Repeat the previous steps to add additional Business Central, or other data, to your Power BI data model.
Note

Once you have successfully connected to Business Central, you will not be prompted again to sign in.

Once the data is loaded, you can see it in the right navigation on the page. You have successfully connected to your Business Central data, and you can begin building your Power BI report.

Before building your report, we recommend that you import the Business Central theme file. The theme file will create a color palette so that you can build reports with the same color styling as the Business Central apps without requiring you to define custom colors for each visual.

For more information, see the Power BI documentation.

See Also

Enabling Your Business Data for Power BI
Business Intelligence
Getting Started
Importing Business Data from Other Finance Systems
Setting Up Business Central
Finance
Quickstart: Connect to data in Power BI Desktop